Paris Peace Conf. 184.01102/327
Professor A. C. Coolidge to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
[Received April 10.]
Sirs: I have the honor to report that the mission of General Smuts in Budapest has naturally interested people in Vienna and excited much comment. Certain things are worth noting. To begin with, the sending of the mission and the propositions made by the General are regarded as rather a triumph for the Hungarians. The fact that the evacuation of less territory is demanded than before, and that Allied and not Roumanian troops will occupy it, is looked upon as a substantial concession. Some people draw the conclusion that the policy followed by both Austria and Hungary up till now has been too yielding, and that it is only by making trouble that anything can be obtained. Another rather interesting fact is the consternation among the conservative elements in Vienna that the Allies have been willing to make concessions to the revolutionists at all. This is regarded as a direct encouragement to the extremists here. It is also pointed out, as I reported in my telegram No. 253 of April 7th,24 that if the Allies are going to furnish food to a Hungarian Soviet republic, one of the chief arguments which have been used to keep partisans of a revolution here from taking action disappears of itself. In general, people are waiting for further results.
Professor Brown writes to me from Budapest that General Smuts made a great impression on people there, and he adds his own opinion that the General was just the man to deal with a situation of the kind.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩